GRAND RAPIDS – Attorney Bruce Alan Block, who wrote a book, “Michigan Medical Marijuana Guide,” will answer questions about the state’s medical marijuana law and other issues surrounding the drug during a live chat on MLive.com on Monday.

Block has a website that provides up-to-date information on the Michigan medical marijuana and the history of marijuana in the U.S.

Block said that the voter-driven Michigan medical marijuana law has sown confusion across the state. Just this week, the state Court of Appeals determined that a state law prohibiting motorists from driving with any active THC – the substance in marijuana that provides a high, and slowly disappears – applies to licensed medical marijuana users.

The decision reversed decisions by two lower courts in Grand Traverse County.

“The argument … was that medical marijuana patients should be treated the same as those who use prescription drugs (i.e. Vicodin). That the State should have to prove that the active THC actually impaired the driver (i.e. driver was weaving, erratic driving, etc.),” Block wrote in response to an MLive.com reader’s question.

“The Koon decision imposes the same zero tolerance standard on medical marijuana patients as it does for non-medical marijuana patients. This ruling says that any amount of active THC is enough to be convicted under the zero tolerance drugged driving laws.”
Block said other states allow a certain level of active THC in a driver’s system.

“The issue with the ruling, is that proponents of medical marijuana think that a state-registered medical marijuana patient who is allowed by state law to use medical marijuana, should be allowed to drive with active THC in their body, so long as the active THC does not impair their ability to drive, just the same as a patient who ingests Vicodin is allowed to drive with Vicodin in their body, so long as the Vicodin does not actually impair their ability to drive.”

For those who can't participate, questions can be sent to jagar@mlive.com.